Judge Declares Conflict in Council’s Effort to Obtain Strip

A federal judge has ruled that three members of the Hawthorne City Council had a conflict of interest when they voted to obtain the city’s Glasgow strip from its current owner.

The decision temporarily derails the council’s attempt to use eminent domain to force the owner, Downey developer Paul del Valle, to sell the 4.6-acre strip to the city.

City officials have eyed the ribbon of property, which runs parallel to the San Diego Freeway near the Rosecrans Avenue exit and the neighborhood of Holly Glen, for years in the hopes of developing it into a park.

Noting that Mayor Steve Andersen and Councilmen Charles Bookhammer and David M. York each own homes in Holly Glen and live within 2,500 feet of the strip, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ralph Nutter said in his ruling Wednesday that “it is clear that the City Council members will benefit from the proposed park” and their property “will be enhanced by an amount in excess of $10,000.”

But City Attorney Michael Adamson said the council merely made a procedural error at its Nov. 25, 1991, meeting when it voted, 5-0, to move forward with eminent domain proceedings.

Adamson said the three councilmen simply needed to publicly state that they live in close proximity to the property before voting, “a 15-minute ritual” that would have made the procedure legal. He said the council would likely vote on the issue again to conform with the judge’s ruling.

Del Valle purchased the property from the California Department of Transportation when he outbid the city in a public auction. Del Valle’s attorney, Christopher Sutton, said his client would like to develop a portion of the property and convert the rest into a park.